Ecommerce has become a standard in today’s market place. If your company isn’t offering products and services online, you may be behind the curve. Transitioning your company’s offerings into the online marketplace has gone from good idea to absolute necessity. Online sales will only continue to play a bigger role in the impact of your company’s profitability.
As a web developer here in Phoenix Arizona, our company consults with clients each week that are looking to transition their business and incorporate an online focus for their products and services. There are a ton of businesses out there that still have an “old school” approach and don’t see the need to offer their products and services via the web. Not recognizing the need to add an online offering to their business is already affecting their bottom line. 70% of American consumers now shop online and 50% of those shoppers are taking advantage of free shipping.
Many company’s still have not made the move to offering their products and services online simply because they don’t know where to start. There is also a fear associated with the change. The fear is that they would hire someone to make this move for them, invest a bunch of money into it and then fail. It is of the utmost importance to hire the right web design and marketing company that can make this transition for you effectively. Here is a list of key items to consider when making your transition to an online marketplace.
Is the firm I am hiring trustworthy? Look at their online portfolio. Ask to see examples of other companies that they have delivered these same services to. Make sure to do your research when finding the right web design company. This is the most important step. A good web design company should be able to handle the rest for you.
Who is my audience? A good web design firm should also specialize in search engine optimization (SEO). Knowing your target audience is key to the success of SEO. Using Google Analytics, they should be able to narrow down the most popular key phrases that are typed into Google when consumers are searching for your particular product or service. The firm you hire should then be able to optimize your Ecommerce site for those key phrases so that the major search engines will recognize your site as a trusted resource for these products or services. If your audience is people in “Phoenix” who need “Plumbers” then your site should be optimized for that key phrase.
How should they showcase my products or services? Have you ever been to a site that is completely flooded with products and information? So much that it almost becomes impossible to read? One of the keys to an effective Ecommerce site is simplicity. I often think of Apple.com. The simplicity of their Ecommerce site is amazing. Easily find your product and proceed to checkout. Creating a site that is easy to navigate, locate product and proceed to checkout is the standard way that consumers have become accustomed to. Simplicity is a beautiful thing!
How important is security? Security is a major issue these days with Ecommerce sites. Some of the largest retailers in our country have recently been hacked. This unfortunate event put millions of consumer’s personal information at risk of identity theft. Make sure the firm that you choose offers website hardening options. Website hardening greatly reduces the surface area of vulnerability of your website. Hackers continue to evolve and find new ways to create problems. We also recommend that you choose a developer who works with the WordPress development platform. Wordpress does an amazing job of notifying you when your site is due for updates. Constant updating along with website hardening is a great way to beef up the security of your Ecommerce site. Protecting the personal information of your customers is priority #1.
How do I find the right web design company? Easy, if you live in “Phoenix” and you are looking for a “Web Design Company” then just type in those key words. The web design companies with the skills you are looking for are all listed on page 1. Our Phoenix web design business is currently in the top 5 of that search.
